Fluting machine



April 18, 1933.

Filed April 15, 1951 C. B. POST FLUTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l lllll ATTORNEY April 18, 1933. c. B. POST 1,904,030

FLUTING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 18, 1933 i i 7 if i UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Application filed Apiil15, 1931. Serial No. 530,222.

The objects of. the invention are to pro- In these views A is astandard upon which vide automatically acting mechanism for the lower portion B of the frame is rigidly pleating fabrics for attachment to gowns and secured; C is the upper portion of the for many other purposes. frame, which is hinged to the lower portion By means of the improved mechanism the at the rear at D. i I operations ofpleating the fabric and sew- The two frames are provided atone end 1 ing the pleats together can be swiftly perwith the forwardly extending shaft. bearings formed, thus dispensing with the use of a E and F respectively, in which the upper and large number of employees to perform the lower shafts and H are revolvable by same amount of work. means of the operating pulley or handwheel The invention includes the employment of I or other operating'means, and spur gearendless belts or chains upon which the pleating J and K respectively. i ing teeth are secured in spaced relation to The teeth on these gears give precision to each other and operating means'therefor, the the movements of the belts. I

I5 aforesaid teeth being provided. with mar- At the front ends of these shafts, are se- 5 ginal recesses, which register with each other cured the sprockets L and M upon which the in overlapping teeth, thus providing supflexible belts or chains N andO are mounted. porting and guiding means for threaded Upon the belts are secured the rowsof needles that are transversely forced through teeth P, P, which are regularly spaced: to

20 the plea-ts of fabric as fast as they are prooverlap and to alternate with each other, so duced and can be afterwards withdrawn caras to produce the pleats in'the fabric as it rying the thread with them through the passes between them as shown in Fig. 3; fabric. This action also feeds the fabric forward The invention also includes a folding between the teeth and forces the completed 25 frame, each portion of which carries one of pleats over the needles Q, Q, which, are 5 said endless belts and which can be separatthreaded and pass 1 entirely through the ed to permit the fabric and needles to be inpleats as fast as they are formed so that serted between them. when withdrawn from the machine and the The invention also includes tension means needles are withdrawn from the pleats the '30 for holding the rows ofteeth' in close relapleats are sewed together.

tion to each other, means for detachably se- To permit the needles to pass through the curing the needles in a central position beoverlapping teeth and pleats the margins of tween the belts upon which the teeth are I the teeth are provided with recessesl, P mounted and guide means for the fabric through which the needles pass in turn as the leading to a central position between said teeth revolve. belts. The needles are detachably inserted in To accomplish these and other useful vreopenings P in the support R which is rigsults, the invention includes the mechanism idly secured upon an extension R of the hereinafter described, illustrated in the acframe, and a platform S receives the fabric companying drawings hereinafter more fully and guides'it to a centralposition between described and particularly pointed out in the the belts. J I: claims. A spring T upon eXtensions'T T of the In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is framesmaintainsapressure upon the teeth. a front elevation of the device; Fig. 2 is an At the opposite end ofthe frame portions end elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is an elevation the sprocket wheels or idlers V, V, extend 5 showing the endless belts and pleating teeth and support the respective belts and the idlers thereon, and the timing gears that give pre are mounted upon fixed projecting shafts W, cision to the movements of the belts and W, that are secured to the projections W teeth thereon; Fig. 4 isvan enlarged plan of on the upper and lower frames respecthe machine. tively. Y

The machine thus constructed has many advantages in construction and use. It will operate successfully upon goods of any desired length. The flexible bands or chains carrying the overlapping teeth may be extended as far as may be desired and the needles being supported and guided closely in the recesses in a long succession of teeth may be made slender if desired, without danger of bending them under the pressure of the goods.

When in use, the action will be automatic, first to take in the goods, next to form the pleats or flutes, and to thread them over the needles and finally to feed the pleated goods over the needles throughout the desired length of the pleating.

The spur gears running in mesh with each other and by means of which accurate timing is obtained are desirable for general use, but if a more accurate form of pleating tooth is employed as for some particular work, the

timing gears may be dispensed with.

The machines are adapted for use in fluting, -pleating,'ruffling or gathering, and are adapted to producing any form of fabrics in which the flutes or corrugations are held together by means of threads running centrally or nearly so through them. 7

One or more needles may be employed .according to the character of the work and goods of one or more thicknesses may be pleated, several thicknesses being employed when it is desired to give the pleats or flutes a padded or puffed appearance.

These machines are ideal for machine type of power drive.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. An automatically acting fluting machine, comprising a main frame, a pair of longitudinally spaced shafts therein, an upthe sewing per frame pivoted to said main frame, at one 1 side thereof, a .pair of spaced shafts in said upper'frame parallel with the shafts in said main frame, pulleys on said shafts, and upper and lower endless flexible toothed fluting members connecting the pulleys on each respective pair of shafts, the teethon one flexible member intermeshing in turn with the teeth on the other flexible member, a needle support in line with the common pitch center of said flexible fluting members, and needles on said support, the intermeshing teeth of said endless flexible fluting members being provided with marginal guide openings in which said needles are supported throughout the fabric covered' portion thereof, to prevent buckling thereof.

2. An automatically acting fluting machine, comprising a main frame, a pair of longitudinally spaced shafts therein, an upper frame pivoted to said main frame at one side thereof, a pair of spaced shafts in said upper frame parallel with the shafts in said main frame, pulleys on said shafts, and upper and lower endless flexible toothed fluting members connecting the pulleys on each respective pair of shafts, the teeth on one flexible member intermeshing in turn with the teeth on the other flexible member, a needle support in line with the common pitch center of said flexible fluting members, and needles onsaid' support, the intermeshing teeth of said endless flexible fluting members being provided with marginal guide openings, in which said needles are supported throughout the fabric covered portion thereof, to prevent buckling thereof, and resilient means for depressing'said pivotedframe to exert vertical pressure upon both ends of said flexible fluting members, and upon the intermediate portions thereof, and to clamp said needles between said chains.

3. In a fluting machine in combination, a pair of spaced upper shafts, and a pair of parallel equally spaced lower shafts, an endless flexib-le chain connecting each pair of shafts, said chains being provided with intermeshing teeth, a fixed support and bearings for the lower pair of shafts, a common pivoted support and bearings for the upper pair of shafts, and means for exerting pressure upon said common pivoted support, nee- 1 dles passing between said chains at the pitch line of said teeth, said teeth on said chains being provided with marginal recesses for the reception of said needles, said pressure being equally distributed over said chains and needles.

4. In a fluting machine, a pair of parallel endless toothed chains and operating shafts therefor, the teeth on one chain intermeshing in turn with the teeth on the other chain said teeth being provided with marginal recesses, a rigid needle support at one end of said machine, and a needle extending through the common pitch line of said endless chains, and rigidly supported in said marginal recesses therein, and means for exerting uniform pressure upon the entire length of the upper chain and needle.

5. Ina fluting machine, a pair of upper and lower parallel endless toothed chains and ,1 operating shafts therefor, the teeth on one chain intermeshing in turn with the teeth on the other chain said teeth being provided with marginal recesses, a rigid needle and a support thereforat one end of said machine,

said needle extending through the common pitch line of said endless chains and rigidly supported in said marginal recesses therebetween, and means for exerting uniform pressure upon the entire length of said upper chain, and means for giving regularity of movement to sald needle supporting chains. In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES B. POST. 

